Chapter 281: the Cloak and Dagger Ect

"Jennifer called. She said you wanted to put an offer in for the Hart property." The only slightly chubby Realtor suggested.

"Do you realize that it is 9:15 in the morning, and you just showed up at me door. You could at least say good morning." I replied.

"Jennifer said that being this early wouldn't be a problem. She also said, if I caught you half dressed that you wouldn't mind that either."

At that point Kate smiled at me. It was one of those smiles. The old me might have done things differently, but the new me wanted a cup of coffee more than to have sex. Of course coffee was the only option with Kate at the moment.

Oh I could do her, but I had the feeling Kate wanted romance, not just to get off. Romance required an openness which I wasn't physically up to at that moment. It seemed that the creator had miscalculated my value at gathering pillow talk. At that moment I realized that all those brilliant nerds and none of them realized how complicated the relationship between lovers or even pretend lovers really was.

Since they knew my every thought they knew how complicated it was at that moment. I supposed that I was a learning experience for them as well as a work in progress. I should wear a sign around my neck, 'men at work'.

"Come on in Realtor Whore, I can at least give you a cup of coffee. I can microwave you a bagel sandwich if you like. Helen dropped them off last night." What I didn't say was, If you don't eat them, they are going into the trash untouched. Unless of course some homeless guy walks by this morning.

"If it's no trouble," she said. "I would love the coffee, but I just came from Helen's."

"No trouble at all," I said pulling one of the ceramic cups from the cabinet and running hot water to rinse the dust off it. " Do you want some of that fake dry creamer, which I keep around for guests." That jar must have been a year old and had made at least one move from house to house with me.

"No black is fine. Do we need to talk about Martin?" she asked.

"Hell no, I expect that he comes to see you when he is in town," I admitted.

"He does, I asked Jennifer if that is why you call me Realty Whore. She told me that it wasn't. It was because you really liked me. Is that true?" she asked staring into her coffee cup.

"It is Kate, but you have to understand people come into and go out of my life all the time. I don't give most of them pet names. Only the ones the stick in my mind for one reason or another. In your case it was because I knew we would be doing business together from now on.

"Good, then I don't mind," she said.

"Honey for the amount of money you are going to make off me it would be best to go along with whatever the golden cow says," I replied.

"Don't make me sound so calculating please," she said. "You know that I saw you at the Cop Out just before you got shot. I wanted to speak to you then but I was afraid."

"Why because I haven't been calling you. That phone thing works both ways you know. Also I really haven't been my loving self for a while. I might never have really been my loving self. With me it's probably always going to be just short trysts, not real relationships," I admitted.

"Okay, " then she changed the subject. Jennifer told me the particulars of the offer, but let me go over them with you before I write it up," she suggested.

"Fair enough," I admitted pouring more coffee in both cups.

"The offer is for forty houses. Ten that back up to the mill and ten more that all face onto Spruce Street. Then an additional twenty more that face onto Cypress Street. The offer is for forty houses in the condition they are right now. You are offering $500,000 contingent on the mill being sold," she said.

"That is correct, you might want to put an expiration date on the offer. I want to use the money for something soon. Jennifer is all hot for me invest, while the realty market has bottomed out," I said.

"Well I can have the offer it writing and fax it over to the Hart family's Realtor by noon," She had been writing as we spoke. I signed her screen copy of the offer and she was ready to leave.

Then she did something unexpected. She gave me a very friendly goodbye kiss on the lips. I kissed her back of course without thinking. The kiss back was the kind of thing the creator had expected from me. They had to be proud of me at the farm. The thought came into my mind from the controller. "We are." They were always in my mind. I had to remember that.

After the Realty Whore left, I went back on minimum power which automatically put me on free electron charge. I didn't need it but some power had been used in out meeting that morning and this new body liked to be fully charged as often as possible. I agreed since one never knew when one might be called on to perform real work.

I sat around doing nothing for only a half hour. At ten I went to the mall to walk. I saw Tiny Dancer there of course. I was a little surprised that Leon wasn't providing her with all the exercise she needed.

"Maxine, I wanted to thank you for the bicycles. It was a nice gesture," she informed me.

"I just thought some of you might like the exercise. There are just two, so you it will be a first come kind of thing." I said.

"Well, I rode one over this morning. I'm afraid I misjudged the weather but once I got started I warmed right up," she said.

"Yes bicycle are like that," I agreed. Then I walked off in a different direction. She always walked counter clockwise and I always walked clockwise. I enjoyed the solitude before my resurrection and I did even more after.